Good Ol' Fashioned Amore
by Infamousplot
Summary: A Valentine's Day collection of Valentine-themed oneshots. Each one, a different Sonic pairing. Contains: SonBlaze, ShadRouge, KnuxShade, EspioNicole, TailsMina, VectorJulie-su, EmerlCream. First chapter, SonBlaze ;3
1. Intertwined SonBlaze

**The first in my pairings collection... My favorite Sonic pairing, SonBlaze X3 Takes place during Sonic Rush Adventure, after the stupid robot pirates have been defeated. Blaze is probably OOC, cuz I've never written as her before... Well, enjoy! Oh, and before u read... If anything in here seems like an innuendo... It's not. _Now_ enjoy.  


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Blaze was in a world of peace. The lull of waves in the background, the gentle wafting breeze of the island caressing her fur... All around her, spheres of fire floated, bobbing left and right, up and down... The orbs of fire never touched her though, and never once fell out of line. They were all under her control...

_Concentrate... Concentrate... Feel the power building within you... Whatever you do, don't lose your focus. Do not get distracted. Don't let anything break your concentra-_

"Yo, Princess!" The silent bubble of focus Blaze had built around herself popped, and she leapt back with a start, watching as clumps of burning debris -the flaming carcasses of what _had_ been balloons -rained down around her. "Oops... Crap." The same voice that had pulled her from her practices muttered again. Blaze sighed, diminishing the flames as best she could. Those that fell on the sand would just burn out, but if any of them landed on the grass or in a tree...

"Sorry about that..." The voice laughed again. Blaze turned to yell at the intruder for their interruption; had all her royal-fury ready to fire, when she saw who the distraction was, and sighed in exasperation.

"Oh. It's you again." She rolled her eyes, her attention returning to a balloon as it floated down toward an unsuspecting palm frond. She could almost hear him grinning.

"You don't sound happy to see me." He teased, walking closer, his shoes making the grains of sand grind against each other, which in turn made her ears twitch. She scowled, putting out another balloon with her pyrokinetics.

"You wouldn't be too happy if _I_ interrupted _you_ while you were practicing something important." She muttered, though she could feel a smile crawling into her voice. She couldn't help it. It was hard to stay mad at him. A breeze wafted overhead, carrying the rest of her balloon-flock toward the waters, ensuring there would be no forest-inferno on her hands. Content, she turned to face him, arms crossed over her chest. The blue hedgehog grinned, mimicking her pose and then putting on a mock-stern look.

"Well, if you ever interrupt me while I'm setting party favors on fire, I'll be sure to let _you_ off the hook. Deal?" Sonic grinned slyly, and Blaze rolled her eyes, picking up the remnants of her practice. Sonic reached for one, and drew his hand back with a yelp he tried to suppress. Blaze chuckled, taking it from him and adding it to her pile.

The balmy island breeze ruffled through Blaze's hair as the two walked next to the water, both careful to stay out of the waves' reach. There was a silence between them that made Blaze feel uncomfortable It had been a month since Sonic and Tails had showed up here. Their plane, the Tornado, which had crashed in the middle of a storm, had been repaired awhile ago. As was typical for Sonic, who she'd come to know as the hero of his own world, he refused to leave until the problems here were taken care of -but, the pirates that had plagued their -her and Marine's, that was- home were long gone, and all of the Sol Emeralds retrieved. The only thing keeping them here now, she realized, was the fact that they still hadn't located the last Chaos Emerald...

_Soon though, they'll find it. And then... What?_ She frowned, nearly slipping in the sand as she tumbled through her thoughts. _They'll go. _An odd feeling came over the cat, leaving her feeling perplexed. It was not a feeling she was familiar with, and she didn't like it. What was this strange ache in her chest?

From the pile in her arms, one of her practice balloons fell, and she sighed, stooping over to grab it -and spilling several more in the process. As she picked up the scattered toys, she became suddenly very aware of the fact that Sonic was watching her, snickering. The closer she felt him watching, the less she felt like a princess, and the more she felt like a fool. As soon as she'd gathered them all and gotten back to her feet, a gust of ocean breeze picked up another one and knocked it down. A seagull hovering above screeched with what she swore was laughter, and she scowled at it.

"So," Sonic began suddenly, snatching the piece of rubber and tossing it back onto the pile. Blaze blinked, surprised by the break in silence. Sonic, it seemed, was an expert at breaking things -robots, concentration, even awkwardness. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but what exactly _were_ you doing back there, anyway?" Blaze snorted, shifting her hold on her pile.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to bore you." The hedgehog stepped in front of her. Irritated, she opened her mouth to tell him to step aside, but was distracted as he began pulling her pile into his own arms. His hand brushed against hers as he took the load, and she felt her face glow with an unfamiliar heat -one that did not come from her flames. Sonic peered at her and grinned his usual grin, emerald eyes flashing.

"Go ahead, your Highness. Enlighten me." He teased, and again the princess felt her cheeks flush with color. She couldn't understand this odd sensation that the hedgehog brought her, this lack of control with her feelings. Why did her face always feel so hot when they spoke? She was usually so stoic, cool and collected. She was not some blushing maiden like those from the foolish fairy tales she'd been told as a child! So why did _he_ have the power to make her feel like one?

Glancing at him, she saw his eyebrows rise expectantly, and she sighed.

"I was practicing my pyrokinetics." She explained, her voice proud and dignified as she did so. Sonic blinked.

"Your... Pyro-kih-what-ics?" He stumbled over each syllable, and the cat rolled her eyes, trying hard to conceal her smile.

"Pyro-kinetics. My fire." She gave him a 'D'oh' look, and he grinned sheepishly. "I set fire around the balloons. The heat makes them stay floating." She smiled slightly. "Sometimes, when I have free time, I'll come out here and let the balloons float around for awhile. They look quite beautiful- that is, when they aren't smoldering on the ground." Her tone had a hint of accusation in it, but it was all in good fun, and they both knew it. Sonic laughed.

"Oh, come on... I think charred rubber looks quite lovely, in the right light." He teased, tossing a scrap at her. She batted it away, chuckling. "But, I guess you're right. After all... There are plenty of things that are _much_ prettier to look at." Sonic smiled, his emerald gaze settling on Blaze, and again her face seared red. To distract herself, she scuffed the sand with her boots.

Though she dared not admit it, since her second encounter with Sonic the hedgehog, her thoughts and feelings revolving around him had begun to change. Her ally, for whom she'd held the greatest respect, had begun to alter into someone who she considered her friend, someone she enjoyed spending time with. Someone she looked forward to spending time with. She dreaded the thought of Sonic leaving, to tell the truth. Her head was full of useless fantasies, dreams she had concocted involving a certain hedgehog... And when he left, they would all go to waste, rotting within her mind...

"Y'know, Blaze... Back in my world, we have a holiday that we celebrate around this time of year." Sonic spoke suddenly, tugging the cat back into reality. She peered up at him, aware that he'd stopped moving and deposited his load on a nearby rock. She frowned, trying to suppress the redness in her cheeks.

"What holiday would that be?" She asked cautiously. The hedgehog grinned.

"We call it Valentine's Day. You ever heard of it?" Blaze smiled slightly, her gaze tracing the rifts in the sand. She had heard of it, from travelers now and then, but she'd never actually celebrated it.

"Once or twice... Why?" She peered up, suddenly shy. She wasn't quite sure where Sonic intended to go with this conversation, and she was feeling uncharacteristically curious. She heard Sonic shrug.

"Just wondering." He grinned. "Do you know how we celebrate it, back in Mobius?" Blaze felt something touch her hand, and she looked down, watching as his fingers fell perfectly between hers, closing around her paw. Her whole arm tingled, and she turned her gaze on Sonic, their eyes locking.

"No..." She began, slowly, her mind racing as her frequent fairy tales and daydreams began playing in her head. "Would you care to enlighten me?" She wished she could have said the last part with a bit more dignity, but instead it came out sounding shy and nervous. Sonic didn't seem to notice, though. He grinned.

"Alright then." The hedgehog leaned in, and Blaze's mind erupted with wonder as his lips brushed gently against hers. Eyes wide with amazement, she stood there in shock for a moment, before melting into him, her lips moving against his. She felt her tail coil around the hedgehog's waist, her hand linked perfectly with his as they stood there, intertwined upon the beach, with no one but the ocean as their witness.

Sonic pulled away, suddenly, and Blaze's eyes slid open. She saw two green eyes gazing back, and a wide, goofy grin splitting across his face.

"Happy Valentine's day, Blaze." Blaze felt a squeeze on her hand, and she squeezed right back, unwilling to let go for anything. There was a smile on her face, which was now a gentle pink instead of searing red, and she pecked the hedgehog's cheek gently.

"Happy Valentine's day, Sonic."

And so, hand in hand, tail coiled around tail, the two walked the rest of the way down the beach together, intertwined.

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**Squee X3 I luv SonBlaze. As for the kiss scene... Hopefully I'll get better at writing those -.-' Well, in the mean time, if you have any comments, don't be shy, drop a review ^_^ Flames will be given to Blaze for practice.**

**Blaze: *bows * Thank you.**


	2. Perplexing ShadRouge

**Thanks for your reviews, especially Seikatsu-chan ^_^ Via request, I've _finally_ updated this thing, with ShadRouge, my favorite Rouge pairing. Enjoy!**

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_"Even if you believe everyone in the world will be against you, know that I will always remain by your side... Remember that..."_

_ ~Rouge, Sonic '06_

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There were some things that Shadow the Hedgehog would never fully understand.

Despite being the "Ultimate Life-form", Shadow was no more intelligent than any of his lesser counterparts. Though his speed rivaled that of Sonic's, and his strength was enough to challenge Knuckles, he would -grudgingly -admit that he was nowhere near perfect. Especially when it came to understanding the mystery that was Rouge.

It was strange, the way that bat worked. One minute, she seemed to be on their side, and the next, she was helping Sonic. Keeping track of her was nearly impossible, but lately Shadow had come to realize that Rouge wasn't on the side of "Good" or "Bad." She worked for herself. Still, watching her flip back and forth was enough to make his mind reel.

Though he'd never said this much, he preferred it when she was working on his side. He hadn't told her, but he enjoyed it when she was leading Team Dark. He'd never admit it, but... He liked it best when she was around.

Rouge was a mystery to him, though. As strange and elusive as his past was, Shadow found it rather ironic that Rouge knew more about him than he knew about her. True, she was a spy -getting dirt on people was in her line of business -but when he thought about it, part of it may have had to do with the fact that, for all the time they'd spent working together, he'd never bothered to ask. Though he doubted she would have told him, even if he _had_ asked, he felt as though it was only right. After all, she'd helped him uncover all the mysteries that shrouded his life; the least he could do was take some interest in hers.

But caring about people was hard. People betrayed you. People used you. People always left in the end.

Except for her.

Rouge's uncharacteristic loyalty to him perplexed Shadow. Perhaps it had something to do with getting the short end of the stick when it came to friendships -in the past, at least -but he'd never been good with trusting people. Yet, for reasons unknown to him, Rouge seemed to trust him completely. Ever since she'd awoken him in the lab, she'd been by his side. That crafty bat had never once betrayed him. She betrayed Knuckles all the time: tricked him and led him on just so she could get that Master Emerald of his, yet to Shadow, she remained faithful. And for that he was grateful. Confused, but grateful.

Shadow didn't like admitting anything that could damage his pride, but the truth was, he was drawn to Rouge. There was something about that dazzling smile, her sly and cunning mind and her languid movements that entranced him. The way she spoke to him, the way she acted around him -she was one of his only true friends. Though it was foolish, he knew if there ever came a time, he would place all his trust in her.

He didn't know why he trusted her, of all people. She was a jewel thief and a government agent. She didn't have many trustworthy qualities, when you thought about it. Shadow had no idea why he'd placed his faith in Rouge- Okay, that was a lie. He knew exactly why he trusted her, but even his reason made no sense.

The truth was, Rouge had a certain quality that had earned her Shadow's trust: She reminded him of Maria.

He didn't understand it. The two of them -his dear Maria, and Rouge -were nothing alike. Maria had been frail and sweet, with a soft voice and a gentle hand. She'd always put others before herself. Always. Rouge, on the other hand, was strong. She was sassy, independent, and she never relied on others -yet she wanted him to rely on her. She was a selfish thief, always putting her own wants before the needs of anyone else. She valued _jewels_ above all else. She was the polar opposite of Maria, so the fact that thoughts of Rouge brought up memories of Maria perplexed the hedgehog.

Her eyes were more green than Maria's. Her hair was paler. Her voice, huskier, her personality? Darker. Yet every time the nocturnal vixen entered his life, Shadow couldn't help think of his dear friend. And, just as strange, he couldn't think of Maria without being reminded of Rouge, either.

He couldn't fully fathom it, but still, Shadow had his theories. After all, Maria had been his dearest friend, and he had lost her. Rouge was dear to him now, so why shouldn't that bring back memories? Maria had brought out the best in him. Rouge... Okay, that was a bit of a stretch, but he always felt... More "heroic" when she was around, like he had a reason to fight, because he had something he wanted to protect.

Both girls had entered Shadow's life at one point, when things hadn't been the clearest to him. Both had been by his side from the beginning, and one to the end. They had tried to shield him from things he couldn't understand, tried to open his mind to possibilities he'd never thought of. They had both been his friends. Both had touched his heart and left a mark upon it, and neither mark could ever be erased.

Shadow had loved Maria. And now, he loved Rouge.

And maybe _that_ was why thoughts of one led to the other...  


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**There you go. Any thoughts, please review! I'm all ears. **


	3. Instinct KnuxShade

**I'm finally baaaack... Took me long enough, huh? -.-' Sorry, to the people who actually read this. And thank you, for actually reading this ^_^ Hopefully, this chapter will be considerably better than the last two. This is a piece I wrote a few years ago, but chopped and edited and made all awesome-like. Hopefully you like it. It's about my FAVORITE Sonic couple, KnuxShade! I love those two! Finally, Shadow can have Rouge without leaving Knuckles pairingless! Now if only they'd make Sonic Chronicles 2...**

**Disclaimer(s): I do not own Knukles, Shade, Sonic, or any other respective cahracters/aspects of SEGA  
I spelled 'Characters' wrong and am too lazy to fix it, yet not to lazy to type this.  
I don't care what the world says, Sonic Chronicles was awesome.  
EspioNicole is _adorable_ -but that has nothing to do with this chapter.**

**Now... Enjoy~  
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Knuckles stood in solitude in the corner, watching a certain female echidna silently. Shade was standing across the foyer, talking with Sonic. Again. Knuckles sighed quietly, trying to avert his gaze, but finding it near impossible to look away. Shade was _always_ talking with Sonic, it seemed, about the Twilight Cage and lord IX, all sorts of things that would have fascinated another echidna -one who'd never even _met_ another one of his own kind until now especially -but were consequently lost on that stupid hedgehog.

Why waste all her time on him? That was the question that had been drilling Knuckles for days now. He'd been dying to know more about his own kind his whole life, and now when he'd finally gotten his chance, the first living, breathing echidna he'd ever met was all over Sonic. _Go figure,_ he thought sourly. _He always has to get the better end of the stick, doesn't he? As if he doesn't already have enough going for him, now he's got the only female echidna in Mobius wrapped around his finger._ Arms crossed, his eyes narrowed with aggravation as Shade shifted closer to Sonic, an act that, for some reason, made his blood boil.

Why was Shade so interested with that obnoxious hedgehog? Sonic was too impatient to pay any attention to her, even if they were trapped in this ship together, so why waste her time? No matter how many times he toiled over it, he couldn't come to a decent conclusion. Could it be that she was... Attracted, to him?

The thought had come unwittingly to Knuckles, and upon it his gut wrenched. Suddenly sick to his stomach, he tried to banish the thought and clear his mind, but it wouldn't go away.

_Calm down,_ he scolded himself angrily. _Shade could never be in love with Sonic,_ he assured himself, hand on his stomach in an attempt to ease the stress.

_Sonic is obnoxious and a pain-in-the-ass. The only person who would ever see anything in him is Amy, and she'd never let anyone else get their hands on him anyway. Besides, he's too much of a big-shot to ever have a real love life anyway. _Knuckles told himself silently, still watching as Shade conversed with Sonic.

_He's way too busy running around and being the hero to settle down._ Though these seemed like logical arguments from his perspective, he couldn't help but groan inwardly. Sure, Sonic wasn't much of a stick around for romance kind of guy, but did Shade know that? Of course she didn't. So, what help was that?

_Amy would never allow it,_ he told himself again, the little voice in his head sounding rather stubborn as it tried to convince him why Shade couldn't be in love with Sonic. _They've only just met anyway. Not nearly enough time for her to fall for him... Right?_ But what about love at first sight? Amy used to blather on and on about stuff like that, though he'd never really thought about it happening in real life.

_She can't be in love with Sonic because I love her._

This thought came as a surprise to Knuckles, who hadn't even meant to think it, and was now blushing furiously because of it. Inwardly, he began scolding himself for such rash and irrational fantasies. There was no reason Shade _couldn't_ be in love with Sonic, and he himself certainly wasn't in love with her! After all, he'd only just met her, and love at first sight was just a bunch of crap people used for movies... Right?

Leaning back against the cool, metal wall, Knuckles hung his head a bit and let his muddled thoughts untangle themselves.

Shade was pretty. Actually, when he thought about it, Shade was quite beautiful. She had those cute jagged markings on her dread locks and luminescent violet eyes that seemed to glow in the night, like purple stars. She was very bright, certainly not a genius of say, Tails' standards, but smart none the less. And, of course, she was an echidna, just like him.

He scowled, shaking his head. Using 'She's an echidna' as a reason seemed so... Shallow. But then again, it really seemed to qualify as one of the reasons he liked her so much. After all, she was the first echidna he'd ever met aside from that girl Tikal -who was ancient, dead, and sealed inside the Master Emerald.

Shade had spared him when he'd been captured, even though all the others had wanted him dead. When she'd fallen from the island, he'd leapt to save her without reason or hesitation. If he thought back to that moment when he'd seen her falling -and he had, many times since the actual event -and tried to figure out why exactly he'd gone after her, he still wouldn't be able to answer. He didn't know _why_ he'd done it, he just... Had. It was an impulse, an instinct, and he'd followed it like he had any other instinct.

Sighing, Knuckles glanced over toward Shade again. She was still talking with Sonic, and it made his hackles rise with anger and... Jealousy. He wanted to be the one she was talking to, he realized. He wanted her attention, her opinion. He craved to impress her. He'd saved this girl's life without even thinking about it, without any regard for his own life. _But... I didn't do that because I had feelings for her... Did I? _If he had, then he hadn't been aware of it. But slowly, he was starting to feel otherwise.

He wanted Shade to pay attention to _him_, not Sonic. This was more than just 'We're both echidnas.' Knuckles... He had feelings for Shade.

But Shade, he realized sadly, seemed only to have eyes for Sonic. Grimacing, he finally managed to turn his gaze away, focusing on something less heart wrenching. He found himself watching Cream, who was playing quietly with Cheese and Amy behind the cockpit, where Tails was focused intently on the sky. _This ship is huge,_ he mused, watching as stars flicked by. His eyes traced the stars across the glossy windows, slowly but surely making their way back to the point of interest: Shade.

"What 'cha lookin' at?" A syrupy voice asked, surprising the echidna. Looking up, Knuckles caught sight of an all-too familiar bat smirking at him, and his face turned red. Crap. he'd almost forgotten Rouge had tagged along with them.

"N-Nothing!" He stammered, his muzzle burning crimson. Rouge grinned slyly, pacing closer to the echidna.

"You sure?" She chuckled, sidling up next to him. "Cuz from where I'm standing, it looks like you were ogling that new girl." Knuckles eyes grew wide in shock, only causing Rouge's grin to grow wider.

"O-Ogling!" Both embarrassed and insulted, he took a step away from the bat and fixed his most murderous glare on her -which was watered down due to how flustered he was. "I-I was not _ogling_ anyone! I just- happened to looking in that direction!" He snarled, face still overheating. Rogue rolled her eyes, grin never faltering.

"_Sure_. Whatever you say, big guy." She teased, cocking her head to the side. Knuckles scowled, crossing his arms.

"Why do you care, anyway?" He growled, and Rouge shrugged, a sly smirk replacing the grin.

"Oh, no reason." She replied lightly, turning away slowly. "I just couldn't help but notice that you seemed to be having some, dare I say it, _romantic_ thoughts about her?" Knuckles felt his face get impossibly hotter, and he wished he could just disappear -or better yet, make Rouge disappear.

"G-Go fall in a black hole!" He spat, turning away furiously, desperately trying -and failing -to suppress the burning sensation in his cheeks as Rouge laughed quietly.

"Suit yourself." She shrugged, pausing before she left. "Have fun daydreaming, lover boy." She grinned, wandering over to where Shadow was standing in silence near the other window. Knuckles scowled, insults and comebacks -none of which were all that good -churning inside him, but he refrained from shouting any of them. The last thing he wanted was to make that conversation public.

Sighing, he turned away, his eyes immediately trailing back to Shade. To his surprise -and joy -she was alone. Her back was to the rest of the room as she stared out the window of the Cyclone in silence. He felt a tug inside him, and a little voice cried 'Now's your chance!' Smiling, he walked over to her.

Shade didn't react as he took up stance next to her, staring out the window in silence.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He mused, watching as the bright specks of stars whizzed by. Shade looked up in surprise, a smile crossing her muzzle.

"Yes... It is." She agreed quietly. Knuckles smiled, something he rarely did when not in battle. It felt far more natural doing it around her, though, and he accepted the act without question. As Shade's eyes were draw back to the sight outside, Knuckles' eyes took in the sight right next to him, silently tracing her form in his mind. Maybe the view outside was beautiful, but it was nothing compared to the female standing right here.

"So... What were you thinking about?" He asked, nonchalantly. Shade smiled, not looking away from the window.

"Just... Things. Life, I guess." Out of the corner of her eyes, she glanced at Knuckles, and upon seeing he was staring right back, she quickly looked away. "It's amazing how fast things can change..." She murmured, pushing a lock of hair back over her headband. "One day I'm trying to bring my clan out of this place, and now I'm fighting to keep them here." There was no mistaking the pain and guilt in her voice, and Knuckles felt a pang of sympathy for her. After all, who knew about the pains of losing your kind better than him, the "Last Echidna?" Instinctively, his hand shot out and found its resting place upon her shoulder.

Both bodies tensed -Knuckles' in shock of its action, Shade's for a number of reasons, but when neither reacted, they relaxed.

"I know this is all hard for you..." Knuckles' voice was quiet as he gazed at the female, his grip gentle but firm. "But you're doing a good thing. And I just want you to know..." He paused, the words halting nervously as Shade's eyes sneaked toward him, attention undivided. "I'm glad you're on our team." He finished, slowly but without any reluctance. Shade stared at him with wide eyes that made him feel ten feet tall; her cheeks glowing with a pale pink. She smiled, placing her own hand upon his.

"Thank you... Knuckles." Despite the silentness of her voice, there was no doubt to the sincerity, and Knuckles smiled back, wishing he had the nerve to grab her hand where it lied and hold it tight, if not for her sake then for his own. "I hope you can all return to your home world soon..." She murmured, a bit of melancholy in her voice. At this, Knuckles _did _grab her hand -an act that caused both echidna's faces to blush red, but he continued without hesitation.

"We_ will_ defeat IX, and we'll _all_ go back home. Okay?" He smiled, and Shade smiled back, making his heart beat just a little bit faster.

"Yes." She murmured, squeezing his hand back. "We." Knuckles heart did a flip, and his muzzle remained red long after their hands had slipped away from each other and a silence had fallen over them as they gazed at the oblivion passing by.

We meant them all as a group. But 'We' also meant 'Him and Shade.'

There was no denying it. Knuckles was in love with Shade.

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**Yay! They're just so cute together ^_^ I had some trouble trying to make it not just Knuckles' thoughts, but I think I did okay... Not that my opinion really matters... Tell me what you think! And, if you think I should do more KnuxShade stuff, cuz I just luv that pairing ^w^**

**~Ip  
**


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